Crossroads: Guest Post from Renee Johnson Fisher

Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask

for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its

path, and you will find rest for your souls.

JEREMIAH 6:16

In Jeremiah 6, the prophet says that Israel is at a crossroads. Have you ever been there? In your professional life, your education, your dating relationships? Has there been a time when you faced a number of options, all of which looked equally attractive but presented wildly different futures? Maybe one path looked easy—a college close to home, a job in the same building where you’d been an intern, dating the pastor’s daughter. Maybe the other path was more uncertain—a college in a different part of the country, a career that wasn’t certain to bring financial stability, dating a guy your parents couldn’t stand.
Jeremiah has advice for Israel and for you. Check out his instructions in verse 16:

Stop. Recognize the crossroads right in front of you. Before you make a decision, take some time to reflect and seek God’s will.

Look. Immediate distractions or hindrances directly in front of us might cause us to miss the right path.

Ask. Talk to God and people you trust. Seek wise council. Dig into the Word. This part’s important. Hebrews 2:1 warns us that “we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.”

Walk. Once you’re certain of God’s will, take those first steps on the path with confidence.

Travel. Once you’ve made all the preparations, you can enjoy the journey and delight in all the surprise and abundance you find along the way.
When you reach a crossroads in your life, find peace and certainty by following God’s will!

~

Renee Johnson Fisher is a spirited speaker and writer to twenty-somethings. Her second book Not Another Dating Book (Harvest House) released in February 2012, and you can find Renee blogging at www.devotionaldiva.com.

Adapted from: Not Another Dating Book © 2012 by Renee Fisher. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by permission.

Sarah here: The publisher has graciously offered to GIVE AWAY a few copies of Renee's brand new book!! Interested? Of course you are! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with a valid e-mail address - that's it! I'll give you one week and then we'll randomly select our winners! So comment away!

It's all about Relationship

Our son Thomas is a high school senior. Here's a picture of him last week on spring break. We went fishing in Florida. I almost didn't go on the boat with Thomas and his dad Saturday night. Part of me wanted to stay home and read, my favorite thing to do. I'm not much of a fisherwoman.

We climbed on the little boat and Thomas fixed up my rod and reel. Actually, he let me borrow one of his. I don't own fishing gear. While his dad drove the boat, Thomas showed me how to cast. He explained what to do if I caught a fish(I didn't). He had to untangle me a few times when I got my line hung in the weeds.

But I'm telling you the truth--I had the best time!

Here's the thing--when you care about someone, you want to make the relationship stronger. Sometimes you have to learn about the things they love. Tonight I'm going to a car show with my husband. :-0

Really, so much in life comes down to relationships with the people we love.

Can anybody relate?

Love,
Julie

My Favorite Things

I've been thinking a lot about what really matters. And you know what matters to me? People I love.

I blogged last time that my girls and I were getting together December 13th to make Christmas cookies. We did and guess what? This year we all wore matching pajamas.

My daughters are grown now, but when they were little, we gave them matching pj's on Christmas Eve. The past couple of years, I've started buying matching pj's again. AND this year I bought me some too! We all wore our pj's to the Cookie Making Party. I think it's my favorite Christmas activity--and it's such a simple thing to do. Simple but with much love. That's where my heart is.

One more simple thing. My husband and I have started sitting together on our front porch every morning really early. 6:30 a.m. It's still dark outside. We have our coffee and just sit in rocking chairs. We don't talk about anything all that important. This week, we've turned on the white Christmas lights that go around our porch. Today I said, "You really matter to me." He said, "You really matter to me, too."

Is there anything more valuable than spending moments with those we love? That's where my heart is this morning. If anybody else is feeling this exquisite gift of connecting with those you love, please share.

Love,
Julie